Folding and stacking machine and method



Sept. 4, 1956 H. s. LABOMBARDE FOLDING AND STACKING MACHINE AND METHOD 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 9, 1952 m m s H w Mm Q T MM A LM f 38 A 0L v! M Ma HY w pt. 4. 1956 H. s. LASBOMBARDE 2,761,362

FOLDING AND STACKING MACHINE AND METHOD Filed Dec. 9, 1952- 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR. f/A/QOL D. J. LflBOMfl/LQDB 0565/1550 15) BM 145041841606, flicufk/X BY 204 PM W ATTORNEYS United States Patent FOLDING AND STACKIN G MACHINE AND IVIETHOD Harold S. Labombarde, deceased, late of Nashua, N. H., by Beatrice M. Labomharde, executrix', Nashua, N. H., assignor to International Paper Box Machine Company, Nashua, N. H., a corporation of New Hampshire Application December 9, 1952, Serial No. 324,865

Claims. (Cl. 93-93) This invention relates to the stacking of articles such as collapsed or tubular boxes after they have been made on suitable high speed machinery and before they are packed for shipment.

In the paper box art, machines are provided for con-- verting flat box blanks into folded and glued boxes in collapsed condition, the machine usually having an horizontal paper line along which a plurality of blanks are advanced. The blanks are advanced individually and successively at great speed, with an end foremost from a magazine in a feeding zone through a gluing and folding zone, where infolding belts or the like fold in the longitudinally extending side walls and glue the same together. When each glued and folded collapsed, or tubular box leaves the folding and gluing zone of the machine, it enters a delivery zone wherein the folds are ironed out by pressing rolls in order that they will stack compactly and time and pressure completes the bonding of the glue. After the pressing rolls, the collapsed boxes pass through an electric or mechanical counter which counts out numerical groups of boxes and automatically kicks, or olfsets the last box of the group from the path of the remaining boxes. The boxes are then delivered, still travelling end foremost, to a slower moving accumulating apron upon which they accumulate and over-lap each other. A still slower stacking apron causes the boxes to form a compact stack with each box resting on end rather than on its side and upstanding substantially vertically therefrom thus forming a vertical type stack.

Such vertical stacks have been found disadvantageous because the end upon which each box rests is usually a narrow flap of less thickness than the main body of the box and the upper ends, available for grasping by the hands of the operator, are made up of similar flaps. When the operator grasps a group of the boxes they tend to scatter and the remaining cartons in the stack frequently fall over causing confusion and additional work in reghu fliing and jogging, particularly when these cartons have been prebroken in the gluing machine. The thicker sides in the boxes which would offer a firmer grip are sometimes enclosed and supported in elongated guides preventing the operator from grasping the same. This is infrequently done however as the use of the side guides as such cause the counted carton to be forced into similar relation to the stack resulting in the loss of count. Thus the operator, seeking to pack a group of boxes stacked vertically must now grasp the exposed upper ends of the boxes which do not offer a firm grip and in addition, the operator is required to jog the group of boxes into alignment. At present the running speed of such machines is limited to the speed at which the boxes or cartons can be successfully inspected and removed from the machine and vertical stacking, as explained above, tends to prevent rapid removal.

Horizontal stacking is therefore preferred wherein the boxes, even though folded while travelling end foremost, are stacked while travelling side foremost. This has previously been accomplished by placing a barrier, or guide,

in the path of the slowly advancing stack on the accumulating or stacking apron thus causing the boxes to ride up and over the barrier while turning from an end foremost POSifiOILtO a sideforemost position.

While. such turning permits the operator to grasp the group of boxes from above and to seize theexposed thicket upper sides thereby eliminating the need of the jogging operation, the act of turning by such a barrier may cause the loss of the count. This is because the last box of each group, whether offset upwardly or sidewise, tends to. slide back into its previous position in the stack during the lifting, turning and falling motions caused by the barrier type turning device. The above mentioned turning device, in the form of a barrier, has previously been positioned after the collapsed box pressing, counting and offsetting devices and intermediate of the accumulating and stacking aprons, and has not only been difiicult to mount above the travelling aprons, but has required adjustment for each, size and shape of blank passing through. the machine. In addition, such barriers will not work on all shapes and sizes of boxes, especially those of the soap carton. type which are about as high as they are wide in collapsed or tubular condition.

To overcome these disadvantages this invention provides a pair of conical rollers for turning each blank from an end foremost position to a side foremost. position located preferably at the entrance ofthe delivery zone of the box forming machine. .In turning, the collapsed boxes remain in their horizontal plane, rather than being lifted up an inclin'eto'drop intp a new position as with a barrier. The boxes thereby retain their position relative to the remainder of the group or stack under the positive control of the conical rolls. Even if the cortical, rolls are positioned after the olfsetting device a box which has been oifset from the path of the other boxes, enters the conical rolls at a slightlydiferent-location and is turned into a slightly different location than the remaining boxes thereby retaining its ofiset position and value as a marker, or indicator, of the count. The conical rollers of the invention preferably are supported from above and below at their small ends or have their small ends free of support and are supported only from the opposite larger end whereby they can be slidably adjusted to various positions or to accommodate various thicknesses of paper board and whereby there is no obstruction in the plane of the paper line in the area of the conical rolls.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a counting, turning and stacking apparatus, and method, wherein collapsed boxes formed and counted while travel ling end foremost may be clearly divided into numerical groups and horizontally stacked without losing the group marker and without requiring a jogging operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide novel supporting means for a pair of truncated conical turning roll ers whereby they are adjustable to a variety of transverse positions on the paper line and wherein the supporting means does not obstruct the passage of the blanks or collapsed'boxes.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a turning device at the entrance to the box delivery zone which turns the collapsed boxes through a angle while the box is continually held between an upper and lower con veyor belt travelling at high speed.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a counting and stacking apparatus in which the boxes are rotated in a horizontal plane near the entrance to the delivery zone at continuous high speed but without rotating too far or loss of control thereof.

In'the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the delivery zone of a typical box forming machine showing the invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the device shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary front elevation in section on line 33 of Fig. 2 of the conical rolls and supporting means for the same.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic plan view of the counting, off-setting, turning and accumulating devices showing a collapsed box being oflset prior to being quarter turned.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing a collapsed box passing through the turning device prior to being offset as a group marker.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the preferred form of supporting and driving means for the conical rolls of the invention and Fig.7 is a front view of the device shown in Fig. 6.

In the drawings, the invention is illustrated as applied to a typical high speed machine for making collapsible boxes or cartons. As is well known in the trade, such machines are usually rather elongated and blanks of paperboard are fed in at one end, glued and folded into collapsed boxes intermediate thereof and accumulated into stacks of such boxes at the other end all in a substantially horizontal straight line operation. For convenience in description, lengthwise sections of such machines are designated as particular zones of operation and such zones are-usually called in order of operation, a

blank feeding zone, a blank glueing zone, a blank folding zone, a box delivery zone, and a box stacking zone.

This invention is not concerned with the blank feeding, glueing or folding zones of the machine and since they form no part of the invention these portions of the machine are not illustrated. It should, however, be noted thatthe collapsed boxes, formed by passage of the blanks through said zones arrive at the box delivery zone at extreme high speed and each travelling with an end foremost rather than a side foremost. For similar reasons'all of the stacking zone of the machine has not been illustrated but only the accumulator apron thereof, it being understood that the accumulator apron usually delivers the boxes to a stacking apron travelling at a lesser speed, and shown fragmentarily.

' As shown in Figs. 1, 2,, 4 and 5, K represents the blank feeding, glueing and folding zones, L the box delivery (zone and M the box stacking zone of a collapsed box forming machine N. 0 represents a typical collapsed box or carton formed by the machine, and P represents the substantially horizontal paper line of the machine along which the flat blanks, flat collapsed boxes and stacked groups of collapsed boxes travel and are carried longitudinally of the machine.

The collapsed box or carton 0 may be of any well known type, the box illustrated having four side walls such as 300, four end flaps 301 at one end and four similar end flaps such as 302 at the opposite end. End locking flaps such as 304 and 305 may also be provided each hinged to an end flap such as 301 or 302 and a side wall glue flap such as 306 is glued to the adjacent side wall such as 300 to form the flat collapsed box 0. As best shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the collapsed boxes 0 arrive at high speed, in a single line, end for end, at the terminus of the feeding, glueing and folding zone K which zone overlaps the delivery zone L. The blanks 0, advancing individually and successively along paper line P are thus advancing with one end 310 foremost, end 310 being formed by the forward edges of end flaps 302 rather than with one side 311 foremost, side 311 being formed by a folded side edge of the elongated side walls 300. It is the function of this invention to accurately and rapidly turn each successive box 0 through a quarter turn so that it will stack horizontally and to do so without losing the group markers offset by the automatic counting mechanism.

The portion of the paper box machine N, located in the delivery zone L, as illustrated, includes a pair of oppositely disposed side frame pieces 250 and 251 each suitably supported on the main frame of machine N.-

A pair of transverse shafts 253 and 254 are each journalled as at 256, 257 in side frame pieces 250 and 251 and shaft 253 carries an upper pressing roll 258 while shaft 254 carries lower pressing roll 259. Four smooth surfaced supporting rods 260, 261, 262 and 263 extend transversely between the fixed side pieces 250 and 251, one at each corner thereof, and an upper threaded rod and a lower threaded rod 264 and 265 also extend between said side pieces. An upper central supporting plate 266 and a lower central supporting plate 267 are slidably mounted by means of holes 268, 269, 270, 271 on the four rods 260, 261, 262 and 263. The plates 266 and 267 are threaded at 272 and 273, on threaded rods 264 and 265 so that when each threaded rod is ro tated its respective central plate may be moved transversely of the machine.

The lower central supporting plate 267 is provided with a forward extension member 169, threadedly adjustable as at 170 and carrying a pulley 171 and is also provided with an idler pulley 172. A lower delivery belt 293 is trained around the lower pressing roll 259, around pulley 171 and over pulley 172 and also passes over a plurality of smaller rollers such as 275, each journalled as at 276 in the lower central supporting plate 267.

The upper central supporting plate 266 is provided with an inclined extension rod 280, sometimes called a trombone, supported by a split sleeve 281, with a set screw 282, on transverse rod 261 and having a pulley 283 at its lower forward end 284 and a similar pulley 285 at its upper rearward end 286. An idler pulley 288 and a plurality of small rollers. such as 290, similar to and opposite rollers 275, are also mounted on plate 266. An upper delivery belt 295 is trained around the upper pressing roll 258 around. pulleys 283 and 285 and under pulleys 288 and rollers 290.

The lower stretch 294 of the upper delivery belt 295 and the upper stretch 298 of the lower delivery belt 293 are on opposite sides of paper line P and it will be apparent that collapsed boxes such as 0, received in the nip of pressing rolls 258 and 259, will have their folds creased thereby and will then be advanced along the paper line P while gripped between the belts until they are delivered adjacent pulleys'171 and 283, to the accumulating apron 201.

Suitable mechanism, well known in the trade, is provided to power the rolls 258 and 259 and preferably the speed of delivery of belts 295 and 293 in zone L is greater than the speed of advance of the blanks through zone K. Thus, while the blanks passing through zone K can be crowded together to nearly touch end for end, flae collapsed boxes formed from such blanks are advanced even faster in delivery zone L, thereby spreading the spacebetween each successive box and enabling a box to be pericdically offset in a sidewise direction without interferiu with the end flaps of other boxes in the line. The M cumulator apron 201, however, is run at'comparativelq slow speed to cause the successive boxes to slide over each other in overlapping position and accumulate into an inclined stacking position. A stacking apron, 204, is provided in extension of apron 201 in the stacking zone M, travelling at a still slower rate of speed than that of accumulator apron 201, thereby causing the inclined stack of overlapping boxes to rise to a substantially vertical position, each box upstanding from an edge thereof. The delivery belts 295 and 293 constitute what is called herein the carrier means A for advancing the boxes 0 through the delivery zone L along the paper line P.

The turning means B of the invention includes a pair of truncated conical rolls 50 and 51 each preferably covered with a soft resilient surface such as 53, of rubber or the like, to form a gripping surface which will yield to accomodate various thicknesses of boxes such as 0. Conical roll 50 is positioned above conical roll 51 so that the line 54 of tangential contact, forming the nip of the meeting surfaces thereof, is in the horizontal plane of paper line P. Roll 50 is revolubly mounted on a shaft 55, the shaft being inclined downwardly toward the lower stretch 294 of belt 295 while roll 51 is rev'olubly mounted on a shaft 56 which is inclined upwardly toward the upper stretch 298 of belt 293. The large ends 57 and 58 of conical rolls 50 and 51 face away from the belts 295 and 293 while the small ends 59 and 60 face toward the belts and the projected vertices of the rolls :50 and 51 meet at 62 exactly at the longitudinal edges of the boxes 0 "to be turned. It should be noted that the belts 29S and 293 are continuous proximate the conical rolls 50 and 51, passing between the projected vertices at 62 and the small ends 59 and 60, whereby a box 0 may continue to be gripped by the belts during the turning operation performed by the conical rolls.

A shaft support 63 depends below plate 266 by which the inner end 64 of shaft '55 is supported and a similar shaft support 65 projects above plate 267 by which the inner end 66 of shaft 56 is supported, the 'rolls therefore being transversely movable with the'plates 266 and 267 and the paper line P being free of any obstruction by the supports of the conical rolls. A small pulley 68 is pro vided at the large end 58 of'roll 51 operably connected by a belt 69 to a larger pulley .70 mounted on the shaft 254 of the pressing roll 259, thus driving the conical rolls in the same direction as the 'presser rolls and delivery belts, but at a more rapid speed. As best shownin Figs. 4 and 5, the conical rolls 50 and 51 engage the portion of each successive box 0, not between belts 295 and 293, and, in rotating, turn the box 0 in the horizontal plane of paper line P through a quarter turn of.90, while the box is continuously advancing at high speed through delivery zone L. The effect of conical rolls 50 and 51 is suchthat a box 0 advancing with an end 310foremost and a side edge 311 aligned with the point 62 is automatically and accurately turned to bring a side edge 311 foremost and edge 310 in alignment with point 62. If as illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 4 a particular box 0 is offset slightly from alignment with point 62 prior to engagement by the conical rolls 50 and 51, the box continues to be offset an equal amount from alignment with point 62 after turning a quarter turn, thus retaining its position as a marker or indicator.

The counting means C of the invention is preferably of the high speed electric type having a housing 100 de' pending adjacent the path of the collapsed boxes 0, as they advance along the paper line, and having an open slot 101 through which a longitudinal edge portion of each box must pass. When carried through the slot, the box may be caused to trip a lever which, through suitable ratchet wheels, counts the number of boxes so passing or as illustrated herein the boxes may break a ray of light extending between the projections 104 and 105 which form slot 101. The number of actuations of such a lever, or the number of such breaks of a ray of light, are automatically counted by counting means C in a manner well known in the art and when a predetermined number of boxes have passed an electric circuit is completed to box offsetting means D to be described hereinafter.

A longitudinally extending bar 124 is mounted across rods 261 and 262 and joined with a longer bar 125 by bolts such as 126 to secure the bars in ahorizontal position longitudinally above the paper line P. The longer bar 125 forms a track for slidable elements such as 127 and 128 each capable of being fixed in various longitudinal positions by set screws such as 130, 131. A vertical rod 132 depends through a hole 133 in element 127 with the housing 100 of counting means C fixed at 'the lower end thereof. Similarly a vertical rod 142 depends through a hole 143 in element 128 with the housing 150 of offsetting means D fixed at the lower end thereof. By sliding rods 132 and 142 vertically in holes 133 and 143 and sliding elements 127 128 longitudinally of track 125 to any desired positions relative to the path of the 6 boxes, the counting means C and olfsetting means D may be fixed in place by set screws and 136.

Offsetting means D preferably includes a wide surfaced arm 152 hinge pivoted at 153 to the housing 150. A flange 155 may be provided on arm 152 for strengthening purposes and the arm is oscillated on its pivot upon receipt of an electrical impulse from counting means C by a solenoid in a manner well known in the trade. Offsetting means D operates periodically to push or offset the last box of a group counted by counting means C slightly out of the normal path of the boxes aligned along the paper line in order to mark the group for the convenience of the operator at the stacking zone M.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5, the offsetting means D may be located at the end of the delivery zone L, where that zone overlaps the stacking zone M since adjacent the pulley 283 the boxes have not yet begun to overlap each other on the accumulator apron 201. Ann 152 thus will strike only one box and not several overlapping boxes. The offsetting means D may also be positioned at other points along the track 125 in delivery zone L either in advance or in rear of turning means B. As illustrated in Fig. 4, both the offsetting means D and the counting means C may be positioned in advance of turning means B if desired. As shown indotted lines in Fig. 4, a box offset by the arm 152 when engaged and turned by conical rolls 50 and 51, is simply turned through a greater are and continues to function as a marker for its numerical group.

Accumulating apron 201 is mounted on a roll 202 carried .by a shaft 203 and, as specified above, forms the first portion of the stacking zone M while a slower moving stacking apron 204, in continuation thereof, forms the remaining portion of zone M. A suitable elongated guide 205 is provided above apron 204 and as indicated in Fig. 5, the horizontally stacked boxes 0 are in compact counted groups each resting on its elongated side edge.

While the mounting and drive of the turning means B shown in Figs. 1-5 operates satisfactorily, it is preferred to mount and drive the conical rolls of the turning means B in the manner shown in Figs. 6 and 7. Instead of supporting conical rolls 450 and 451, from their smaller ends 459 and 460, it is preferred to have the smaller ends free and support the rolls from the larger ends 457 and 458. Conical roll 450 is provided with a collar 465 and is carried on an inclined shaft 466 terminating in an helical gear 467. A pair of transverse rods 468 and 469 extend transversely between side frame pieces such as 250 and 251, each rod carrying slidable sleeves 470, 471 integrally joined by a converting web 472. A sleeve 474 is formed in web 472 to accommodate and carry the shaft 466 and an helical gear 475 is carried by sleeve 471 to intermesh with, and drive, the gear 467 of roll 450. Gear 475 is keyed to shaft 469 to revolve therewith and shaft 469 is revolved by suitable drive connection with machine N. A threaded rod 477 is threadedly connected to the web 472 to move the conical roll 450 transversely of the machine.

Roll 451 is also provided with a collar 485, an inclined shaft 486 and a gear 487. A pair of transverse rods 488 and 489, similar to rods 468 and 469 are also provided having slidable sleeves 490, 491, a connecting web 492, a sleeve 494 and a gear 495 intermeshing with gear 487. A rigid bar 498 connects the lower conical roll mechanism to the threaded rod 477 whereby the transverse movement of roll 450 is accompanied by corresponding transverse movement of roll 451. By using gear drives for the conical rolls 450, 451 a more positive and accurate turning movement is assured, thus preventing any possibility of turning the boxes such as 0 through an angle either lesser or greater than 90.

In operation the box blanks are advanced through the gluing and folding operations at high speed and end to end and arrive at the entrance of the delivery zone L in the form of completed collapsed boxes. Each box is individually and successively received in the carrier means A and advanced through the delivery zone at an even faster speed thus spreading out each box from the next succeeding box and eliminating any danger of contacting each other during the offsetting operation. All of the boxes passing through the delivery zone L are gripped at all times between the upper and lower carrier belts 295 and 2% which are aligned with the longitudinal glue flaps and apply pressure on the same to complete the adhesion thereof. Each successive box passes through the slot 101 of counting means C, and is then turned through an angle of 90 in the horizontal plane of paper line P by turning means B while continually held between belts 295 and 293. Periodically the last box of a numeri cal group is offset from the normal path of the boxes to serve as a marker either in advance of turning means B or after such turning even up to the end of the delivery zone L and at the beginning of stacking zone M. The boxes 0 are thus individually and successively turned from travelling end foremost to travelling side foremost, the former being adapted to folding and the latter being adapted to stacking, and at the same time are counted and marked into numerical groups without danger of losing the group indicators.

What is claimed is:

1. In a machine for making collapsed boxes of paper or the like, said machine having blank feeding, gluing and folding mechanism for delivering completed collapsed boxes individually and successively, with one end foremost, and each in an horizontal plane, to a delivery zone and said machine having box accumulating and box stacking mechanism in a stacking zone for stacking said boxes compactly, each in a substantially vertical plane, the combination of frictionally engaging carrier means extending continuously along said delivery zone for gripping each box, advancing said box at high speed through said delivery zone and delivering the box to said stacking zone; counting means in said delivery zone for counting the number of boxes passing therethrough on said carrier means; offsetting means,'in said delivery zone, operably connected to said counting means, for periodically 0&- setting the last box of a counted group fromthe path of said group and turning means, rotating-beside the path of said carrier means in said delivery zone, for individually and successively rotating each box, passing therethrough on said carrier means, through a quarter turn in its horizontal plane of travel, whereby said boxes are delivered to said stacking zone with one side foremost.

2. A device as specified in claim 1 wherein said turning means comprises a pair of identical truncated conical rolls, one positioned above the path of said boxes and the other positioned below said path to engage and rotate each box through an angle of ninety degrees in an horizontal plane.

3. A device as specified in claim 2 wherein both said counting means and said oifsetting means are located in advance of said pair of truncated conical rolls in said delivery zone.

4. A device as specified in claim 2 wherein said pair of truncated conical rolls are located after said counting means but in advance of said offsetting means in said delivery zone.

5. A device as specified in claim 2 wherein said carrier means comprises an upper and lower belt, each extending continuously through said delivery zone and each following a path passing between the point of the projected vertices of said truncated conical rolls and the adjacent small ends of said rolls in the Plane of the nip of the rolls.

6. A device as specified in claim 2 wherein said pair of truncated conical rolls are each independent of support at the small ends thereof and are each provided with an inclined shaft, a shaft supporting sleeve and a shaft driving helical gear at the larger end thereof for supporting and positively driving the same.

7. In a machine for making collapsed boxes of paper or. the like, said machine having blank feeding, 'glueing and folding. mechanism for. delivering completed collapsed boxes, individually and successively, each in an horizontal plane and with one end foremost, to a delivery zone and said machine having box accumulating and box stacking mechanism, in a stacking zone, for stacking said boxes compactly each in a substantially vertical plane, the combination of a pair of endless delivery belts each extending continuously through said delivery zone and arranged to engage a narrow, longitudinally extending strip intermediate of the upper and lower surfaces of each box to advance the same into said stacking zone; a box counting device positioned adjacent the path of said boxes in the delivery zone and having a slot through which a narrow longitudinally extending edge strip of each box advancing on said delivery belts is carried; a box offsetting device, operably connected with said box counting device, and having a movable arm arranged to periodically push the last box of a counted group partially out of the path of said group as it advances through said delivery zone in said delivery belts and a pair of identical conical rolls, rotatably mounted in said delivery zone and arranged to receive a narrow longitudinally extending strip intermediate of each box therebetween and to rotate each box through a quarter turn horizontally while a portion of said box is continuously engaged between said delivery belts.

8. A machine as specified in claim 7 wherein said endless belts, counting device, oifsetting device and said pair of conical rolls are all mounted to move transversely of the machine in either direction on a pair of central supporting plates.

9. Amachine as specified in claim 7 wherein each of said conical rolls is independent of support at its smaller end, is supported by aninclined shaft projecting from its larger end revoluble in a bearing sleeve mounted to slide transversely of said machineon a transverse rod and is driven by an helical gear at the terminal end of said shaft. 1 7

10. A machine as specified in claim '7 wherein each of said conical rolls is supported at its smaller end by a shaft projecting therefrom and revoluble in a supporting element which extends away from the path of said boxes, thereby freeing said path of obstructions and each of said rolls is independent of support at its larger end but revolved by a pulley and belt positioned at the larger end of one of said rolls.

'11. In a machine for making collapsed paper boxes, the combination of carrier means for advancing said boxes individually and successively along an horizontal paper line, said carrier means including an endless upper beltof less width than a box, frictionally engaging a longitudinally extending, narrow strip intermediate of the width of the upper surfaces of said boxes and an endless lower belt, of less width than a box, frictionally engaging a corresponding, narrow strip intermediate' of the width of the lower surfaces of said boxes, said bei-ts extending continuously along said paper line past turning means, and turning means located beside said carrier means, for turning each successive box through a quarter turn in an horizontal plane while it is continuously engaged by said carrier means, said turning means including an upper truncated conical roll, positioned to engage a longitudinally extending strip of the remaining upper surfaces of said boxes beside but not engaged by said upper belt and an identical lower truncated conical roll, positioned to engage a corresponding strip of the remaining lower surfaces of said boxes beside, but not engaged by, said lower belt.

12. A machine as specified in claim 11 wherein the box-contacting stretches of said upper and lower belts are in the horizontal plane of the line of tangential contact of said upper and lower conical rolls and said belts follow a path passing between the plane of the small ends of said rolls and the points of the projected vertices of said rolls.

13. The method of making and stacking collapsed paper boxes which comprises the successive steps of feeding, glueing and folding box blanks into collapsed boxes while said blanks are advancing individually and successively at high speed along an horizontal paper line with one end foremost, then counting the said collapsed boxes into groups, ofisetting the last box of each group from the path of the group and turning each box through a quarter turn, all while said boxes are advancing at a higher speed individually and successively along said paper line and then accumulating and horizontally stacking said counted, offset and turned boxes while said boxes are advancing at a progressively slower speed and with gradually increasing compactness along said paper line.

14. The method of counting and stacking a plurality of collapsed boxes, each advancing individually, successively and end foremost along the horizontal paper line of a box forming machine which comprises the steps of first individually and successively counting said boxes into groups, then periodically ofisetting the last box of a counted group from the normal path of the boxes in said group; then individually and successively turning each box through a quarter turn in its own horizontal plane without losing the ofl'set relationship of the last box of each group all while said boxes are frictionally engaged from above and below and then overlapping and stack ing said boxes into said numerical groups without losing the ofiset relationship of the last box in each numerical group.

15. The method of stacking a plurality of collapsed boxes, each advancing individually, successively and end foremost along the horizontal paper line of a box forming machine which comprises the steps of continuously frictionally engaging the upper and lower surfaces of each box while successively turning each box individually through a quarter turn in its own horizontal plane to continue advancing side foremost, counting said boxes into numerical groups and offsetting the last box of each group from the path of said group and then overlapping and accumulating said boxes into a compact stack with each box upstanding from a side edge thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,303,371 Novick May 13, 1919 1,488,688 Labombarde Apr. 1, 1924 1,682,237 Osborn Aug. 28, 1928 2,117,460 Staude May 17, 1938 2,130,604 Staude Sept. 20, 1938 2,190,418 Davidson et a1 Feb. 13, 1940 

